Patience
by Cath-Sara-Magic
Summary: Sara and Catherine must face new developments in their relationsip through hard work, trust, and acceptance. CathSara Pairing.
1. Chapter 1

I own no one or nothing, and it won't do any good to sue, because I only have pennies in my pocket.

Warning: This is a Catherine/Sara romance story...if you don't like it, don't read it, no one's twisting your arm. I don't need to hear about how gross you think it is or how much you don't like it, so this is just fair warning.

Please let me know what you think, I'm new to fanfic writing, and I'm still treading water, so to speak.

Jenna

Patience:

One:

"We're running a few minutes late, but we're on our way." Catherine said, holding her cell phone with her shoulder as she pulled her shoe on, "Sara's fighting a migraine and she overslept this evening. We're just about to walk out the door."

"Just be careful." Grissom's voice rang in response, "You'll get here when you get here. Does Sara need the night off?"

Catherine laughed, "If you value your life, you won't even suggest it."

"I suppose you're right. It's a slow night tonight, I've only got one call-out, and everyone's previous cases have been wrapped up. Take your time, I don't want to get called out because the two of you were in an accident."

"We'll be careful." Catherine replied, searching for her car keys, "Let me go so we can walk out the door."

She hung up the phone and called over her shoulder, "Sara! You ready?"

"Sara's sick. She just threw up." Lindsey said, flopping down on the sofa and looking up at her mother, "She shouldn't go to work if she's sick."

Catherine nodded, contemplating going to check on the younger woman, "I know that, and you know that, but Sara's just stubborn."

"Do I hear you using my name in vain?" Sara joked, walking into the living room as she fumbled with the zipper on her black sweater, "You ready?"

"Are you sure you feel up to working tonight?" Catherine asked, her voice laced with concern, "You look exhausted."

Sara smiled, "Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine. I slept for the majority of the day, I can make it through the next 10 hours."

"We probably won't even be there that long, Gris says tonight's super slow." Catherine replied, watching Sara with concerned eyes, "If you start to feel bad, promise me you'll come home."

"I promise, although I'm sure it'll be fine."

Lindsey bounced on the sofa, "You can stay home and play my Harry Potter video game with me. It's so fun!"

"As appealing as that sounds," Sara replied, exchanging a look with Catherine to show that she was sick of playing that particular video game, "I need to help your Mommy catch the bad guys so we can make enough money to buy you new video games."

"I could play my Harry Potter video game all day." Lindsey replied, "Over and over again."

Catherine rolled her eyes, "Believe me, Lins, we know." She motioned for Sara to follow her, "It's past time to go. Your Aunt Nancy is on her way, she should be here in just a few minutes to pick you up for the night. If Sara and I don't have to work too late, I'll come pick you up tonight, otherwise I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, okay." Lindsey replied, nodding along with Catherine, "I've got it. It's not the first time I've waited for Aunt Nancy alone while you went to work. I won't answer the door until I know it's her, I won't answer the phone if I don't recognize the number on the caller ID, I won't try to cook anything, I will make sure to lock the door before we leave."

"Be good for Nancy." Sara called over her shoulder to Lindsey as she followed Catherine out the front door, "We better not get a call that you and Jeremy are fighting, or you can kiss that Harry Potter game goodbye."

Lindsey's eyes widened at the threat, and she nodded solemnly, "I'll be good, I promise!"

A few minutes later, Catherine climbed in the driver's seat, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." Sara replied, buckling her seat belt, "Don't worry about me. I told you, I rested for a bit, I'm doing tons better."

Catherine looked over at Sara with narrow eyes, "I sleep with you, I know you weren't sleeping very well. You got up at least half a dozen times in the time I was with you, not to mention when I was up with Lindsey and you were alone."

"I'm fine. I just have trouble sleeping, you know that, I didn't want to disturb you." Sara replied, "I'm sorry I kept you up."

"You didn't," Catherine said softly, "I just noticed when you were gone. I'm worried about you, baby. Lindsey says you threw up earlier."

Sara squeezed Catherine's hand, "I'm fine, Cath, don't worry about it. It comes and it goes, it's not a big deal. I'll be fine at work tonight, I honestly feel tons better now. You know I wouldn't lie to you."

"I know." Catherine replied, resting her hand on Sara's leg, "I just don't like to see you hurt."

Sara smiled, covering Catherine's hand with her own, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Just got a call in. 419 at 'Treasure Island', one of the Sirens was found dead in the dressing room between shows." Grissom said as he walked into the break room, where Nick, Greg, Catherine, and Sara were seated, "Nicky, you're lead, take Greg with you. Sara, Catherine, I have some cold cases for you to review until something new comes in."

"Sounds fascinating." Catherine replied, rolling her eyes.

Sara nodded, "Absolutely thrilling. Thanks for letting us stay here and review cold cases instead of taking the 419."

"All part of the job, my dears." Grissom replied, "Who knows, maybe the next call will be something better."

"Better than a 419?" Sara asked, "Yeah, right. I'm sure the next call in will be a trick roll."

"Or a decomp." Catherine added with a smirk, "Oh well, at least we won't be pulling overtime tonight."

Nick and Greg left, smirks on their faces as Grissom brought in a stack of casefiles to review.

"Have fun tonight." Nick teased, nudging Sara as he walked by, "We'll be thinking of you."

Sara rolled her eyes as Catherine laughed, "I hope you guys have to pull a triple to finish."

"Enough." Grissom said, motioning towards the folders, "These are cold cases from days, Ecklie thinks it's a good idea for different eyes to review them, some aren't too old, I'd start with those."

Catherine flipped open the first folder, "Aggravated Rape and burglary." She pushed the folder towards Sara, "Day shift processed it 4 months ago, inconclusive evidence, the lead CSI documented that all evidence was contradictory, and after an 'entire' week, they rendered the case unsolvable." She looked up to Grissom, "That just goes to show you how much initiative day shift shows on their cases."

Sara, who had remained silent so far, looked down at the folder, fighting the bile that was rising in her throat. She wasn't sure what illness she was afflicted with, but it had the most inappropriate times to resurface. Case in point, she felt fine (tired, but not weak or queasy) all day, and now that she was trying to work, her stomach was doing flip flops and the room kept fading out, causing her to want to fall out of her chair because she felt so unbalanced.

Taking a deep breath, Sara tried to focus on the pages in front of her. After just a few moments of fighting nausea, she realized it was a lost cause, and she jumped to her feet, all too aware of her fuzzy head, "I...excuse me..."

She rushed out of the room, nearly colliding with the door as she made her exit, leaving her girlfriend and boss staring after her with concern.

"She doesn't look so good tonight." Grissom commented, "Are you going to go check on her?"

Catherine nodded, "I wish she'd just be completely honest with me. She just can't admit she needs help. We've been together for almost three months now, and sometimes it's like she's a complete stranger to me."

"I've known her for over ten years, and she's still a mystery to me." Grissom retorted.

Catherine flashed him a smile, "Ah, yes, but you two aren't sleeping together. I'm sure you would know a lot more of her secrets if you two were having sex."

"Go check on your girlfriend." Grissom said, shaking his head, "I'm not interesting in talking about sex with you."

With a smirk, Catherine pushed her chair back and headed in the direction Sara had exited, knowing fully well where she'd find her.

Catherine pushed open the door to the bathroom, not surprised to hear the sounds of Sara being ill. With a concerned glance at the first stall, where she could see Sara's foot, she hurriedly wet a few paper towels, hoping that the rough brown paper would at least provide a small comfort to the brunette.

She swung the door open, sighing as she knelt down behind Sara and pulled back her hair, "Baby, you need to go to the doctor."

"I'm fine." Sara said between heaves, her face extremely pale. "I don't need a doctor."

Catherine rolled her eyes, "So puking your guts up is 'fine'? I'd hate to see if you were actually sick." She placed the paper towels on the back of Sara's neck, "You're worrying me. You're even worrying Grissom."

"I don't want to worry you. I don't want to argue with you. I just want to go home and go to bed. If we get called out and I puke in front of anyone, I'll die of embarrassment." Sara said with a sniffle, "I feel awful."

"You don't look too great either." Catherine said with a teasing smile, "I'm sorry you don't feel well. I'll go tell Grissom that I'm taking you home. Do you think you'll be sick again, or are you ready to go?"

Sara groaned, rubbing her eyes tiredly, "To be honest, I don't know. I didn't think I've eaten enough in the last week to be this sick."

"My poor baby...let me take you home and take care of you." Catherine said softly, letting her lips brush against Sara's forehead, "You're not feverish, but you should definitely see a doctor if you aren't feeling better in the morning."

Half an hour later, Catherine was tucking Sara into their bed, laying down beside her on her side, "Do you need anything?"

"Just stay with me." Sara replied groggily, "Please."

Catherine let her lips meet Sara's once more, stroking her cheek gently, "Baby, you'll never be able to get rid of me."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Two:

Catherine awoke to the sounds of Lindsey and Sara arguing. Groaning, she pushed herself off the bed, "I swear, sometimes it's like having two children."

"Lindsey, I'm not saying you can't play the game, just bring the Playstation into your room, okay?"

Lindsey shook her head vehemently, "No! I want to play in here so I can talk on the phone."

"Bring the cordless with you into your room." Sara retorted, "Please Lindsey, I don't feel well, and the noise from your game is just making it worse."

Lindsey put her hands on her hips, stomping her foot angrily, "If you're that sick then you should go back to bed. It's the 'family room', which means that you can't kick me out. Ever since you've moved in, you've been sucking the fun out of everything. You and my Mom are practically attached, which, by the way, I think is gross. You've made it so I can't eat in the family room, you make me do my homework when Mom's not home, you made Mom stop buying junk food, and now you're telling me that I can't play my game!" Lindsey finished her tirade in a yell, causing Sara to wince.

Sara shook her head, "First off, I'm not trying to take your Mom from you. I'm not trying to change anything, I never realized I have been, and I'm sorry for that. I'm not telling you that you can't play your game, for the millionth time, I'm just asking you to play it in your bedroom."

"I was here before you, today and always, and I'm not going anywhere. Like I said, if you are still sick, then go back to bed and leave me alone!" Lindsey yelled, stomping her foot with a frustrated tone, "You aren't my Mom, you can't boss me around!"

"Lindsey, that's enough." Catherine said tiredly, walking into the family room, "You treat Sara with respect. Sara, go back to bed, you look like shit. Lindsey, bring the playstation into your bedroom and stop being a brat. If you two can't play nice, then you both go to your rooms and I'll finish my few hours of sleep in the living room."

Sara was about to respond when her face turned a sickly pale color and she rushed from the living room to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Rolling her eyes with a sneer, Lindsey flipped her hair over her shoulder and stormed to her bedroom, slamming her door so hard that it rattled the pictures on the wall. Sighing, Catherine sank onto the sofa, shaking her head as she tried to decide who she would go to first to try to reclaim peace. On one hand, Sara was her girlfriend, and in obvious need of some caring at the moment. On the other hand, Lindsey was her daughter, and was obviously having some anxiety issues over their new living arrangements.

The phone rang, saving her from making a decision, and she answered it tiredly, "Willows."

"Cath, this is Warrick. I'm having some car trouble, and the towing service is on their way to tow my car to the shop, but I need a ride home. I'm only a few blocks from your house...I know it's early, but--"

Catherine smiled, despite her fatigue, at Warrick's gentle tone, "Not a problem, I'd be glad to drop you off at home."

"Oh Cath, thank you so much, you're a lifesaver."

"I'll even pick you up before shift tonight." Catherine said in a teasing tone, "Unless, of course, you want to walk to work tonight?"

Warrick groaned, "In this weather? Are you insane? I'd probably leave my house in a sweater and need just a t-shirt by the time I got there."

"Maybe you're just that out of shape." Catherine joked, "Let me get dressed and I'll be right there."

Relief was evident in Warrick's voice, "Thank you so much, I'm right in front of the Burger King, you can't miss me, I'm the one with smoke coming from the hood."

"I'll be right there." Catherine replied, hanging up and walking down the hallway, towards her bedroom.

She decided to pop her head in and check on Sara, and was surprised by what she found when she passed the bathroom. Sara was sitting on the floor, her back against the bathtub, her face pale and her body trembling slightly as her hand rested on her stomach. Kneeling beside her was Lindsey, who was carefully pulling Sara's hair into a ponytail.

"Mom always gives me some of the pink medicine and some ginger ale when my tummy hurts. I think we have a bottle in the fridge, do you want some?" Lindsey asked gently, her voice, which five minutes ago was full of anger, now reflected deep concern, and she seemed rather pleased when Sara nodded.

"That would be nice. Thank you, honey." Sara murmured, leaning her head against the wall as she drew her knees to her chest, moaning softly.

Lindsey kissed the top of Sara's head gently, "It's going to be okay, Sara, throwing up is just your body's way of getting all of the yucky stuff out so you can feel better. Mom and I will take care of you until you feel all better." The young blonde stood, "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. If you want to play the Harry Potter game later, I'll let you pick your character first that way you can have the one you want."

Sara, despite how lousy she felt, managed a smile, "Thanks Lindsey. I love you, kiddo."

"I love you too, Sara." Lindsey replied, stopping in the doorway when she spotted her mother, "Mom, we don't need you, I'm taking care of her today."

Catherine felt a smile tugging at her mouth at her daughter's serious tone. "Oh, you've got it under control, then?"

"Sometimes you and Sara are grouchy when you first wake up. And I know you're super grouchy when you're sick, so I guess Sara must be too. I guess I shouldn't have fought with her. But we're friends again, right Sara?" Lindsey waited for Sara's moan of agreement before continuing, "And since Sara's not feeling well, and I'm off of school, I'm going to make her feel better."

Lindsey disappeared into the kitchen and Catherine gently rubbed Sara's back as she began to retch once more. "Baby, you need to see a doctor."

"I'm going to be okay. It must be food poisoning or something. Maybe the flu." Sara groaned, rubbing her eyes tiredly, "I'm just ready for this to be over with. I hate being sick."

Catherine pulled a shaky Sara to her feet, "Well, it's not on my top ten list either. Let's get you back to bed, you look like something we'd see on Doc Robbin's table. When was the last time you were able to keep anything down?"

"3 days?" Sara replied, "Maybe 4. I don't remember. I may never eat again."

Lindsey appeared in the doorway a few seconds later, unsteadily carrying a lap tray with an empty glass, a can of ginger ale, and a plate of crackers on it. "I brought you some ginger ale and crackers. You don't have to eat all of it, but you've got to at least try." Lindsey said in her most motherly voice, "Oh! And I got you some medicine!" She reached into her pocket and placed it on the tray, which she set down on the bed gently. "Mom and I are going to leave you alone so you can sleep, sleeping is important."

"I need to go pick up Warrick anyway." Catherine replied, "His car overheated or something...I'm going to drop him off at his place and I'll be right back. Do you want me to pick you up anything?"

Glancing down at the food before her and turning slightly green, Sara shook her head, "No, it's okay, really."

"Try to rest, baby." Catherine said gently, letting her lips brush against Sara's. She looked towards Lindsey, "You try to stay out of trouble and let Sara rest until I get back." She walked towards the door, slipping on some flip flops, "I've got my cell if you need anything."

Catherine left, Lindsey in tow as she begged for her mother to bring back donuts for breakfast. Once alone, Sara cracked open the bottle of pepto and took a swig, groaning as she had to fight to keep it down. Not wanting to disappoint Lindsey, she nibbled on the corner of a cracker and took a small sip of ginger ale. This would definitely be a slow process.

Setting the tray down on the bedside table, Sara gave into her heavy eyelids and drifted into a light sleep, praying she wouldn't be interrupted for awhile.

The next time her eyes opened, the faint aroma of lasagna filled the air. Sara stretched with a yawn, relieved to find that the movement didn't leave her wanting to gag. Taking a small bite off of one of Lindsey's crackers, she found her stomach grumbling with hunger.

She walked into the kitchen, silently watching as Lindsey clumsily helped Catherine butter the french bread. It was moments like these that she loved Catherine the most. Sure, she enjoyed working with the blonde, she was constantly impressed by her knowledge, and the sex was great, but watching her interact with Lindsey was so natural, so relaxed and maternal...it made her cherish every moment she got to observe their relationship. Every once and awhile it would tug at her heart, reminding her that she may never have that sort of special bond with a child of her own, and letting a bit of regret seep through that she didn't get to enjoy that closeness with her own mother.

"Sara!" Lindsey exclaimed, spotting the brunette in the doorway, "You're supposed to be resting." She added, a frown on her face.

Sara pulled Lindsey in for a hug, "Well, it seems like you did a really good job taking care of me today, because I feel tons better now," she smiled at Catherine, "What's for dinner?"

Catherine opened the oven slightly, "Lasagna for Lindsey and I, vegetable soup for you."

"Soup makes you feel better." Lindsey added, "Usually chicken noodle soup makes people feel better, but I told Mom that you'd want the vegetable soup. Mom said you'd probably like tomato, but tomato soup is yucky."

Sara smiled at the young blonde, who had her arms wrapped around Sara's waist, smiling up towards the brunette, "Vegetable soup is my favorite type of soup. Thank you Lindsey."

"We made it from scratch, so it's a good think you like it, because we have plenty." Catherine said with a smile, walking over towards Sara and placing a hand on her forehead, "You're not warm, of course, you weren't warm earlier. You still look pale though."

Sara rolled her eyes, although she was pleased to see Catherine cared about her so much, "I'm doing much better. I'm sorry I worried you this morning."

"I just don't like to see the people I love sick." Catherine replied, her voice in mock-threat, "So you better stay healthy, you hear me?"

Sara raised her hand in a mock-salute, "Yes mam!"

"Sara, you're going to stay home from work tonight, right?" Lindsey asked, "We can rent a movie and you can let me paint your toenails."

"Uh..." Sara began, looking towards Catherine, who nodded, "Sara's going to stay home tonight, but I don't know about the movie and nail polish. Didn't I tell you last weekend that you aren't allowed to use nail polish in the house anymore?"

"I only spilled it that one time." Lindsey protested, "I've grown up a lot since then!"

Catherine rolled her eyes, "Linds, it was red polish on my white bedspread, and it was only 6 months ago."

"We can rent a movie, though." Sara said to the frowning blonde, "And we'll play your game." She knew better than to argue with Catherine when her girlfriend had already made up her mind on something. Besides, as much as she wanted to work, the idea of resting was highly appealing.

Lindsey wrapped her arms around Sara's waist, hugging her tightly, "We're going to have so much fun!"

"But you'll have to let Sara take it easy, she's not feeling well." Catherine said sternly, "And Sara, you better be resting while you're home tonight."

"Yes, Mom." both Sara and Lindsey replied, matching smiles on their faces. Rolling her eyes, Catherine nudged Sara's arm, "You're so corny."

"It's part of the geek charm, you didn't know that?" Sara asked, a coy smile on her face, "It's too bad you can't stay home with us."

Lindsey nodded enthusiastically, "If you could, then we could play my Jeopardy video game." She frowned, looking at Sara, "I can't play with just Sara, because she always wins."

"I don't always win!" Sara protested, a smile on her face, "If I recall, you beat me the last time we played."

Lindsey turned her head towards her mother, her eyebrows raised, "She let me win."

"Did not!" Sara protested, the smile on her lips lighting up her entire face, "Would I do that?"

Catherine laughed, "Yeah, that doesn't sound like something Sara would do."

"She did!" Lindsey protested, "She 'accidentally' pushed the button to answer and then didn't answer the question every single time for two entire categories."

Sara shrugged, an innocent expression on her face, "Clumsy, I suppose."

"It's okay that you let me win." Lindsey said, hugging Sara's waist again, "It made me feel good that you cared."

Sara stroked the small blonde head gently, "Of course I care, Linds, I love you just as much as I love your Mom."

"I'm glad you're here with us." Lindsey replied, closing her eyes, "You'll stay with us forever, right?"

Sara nodded, bending over to kiss Lindsey's forehead gently, "Of course I will, sweetie, unless your Mom gets tired of me and kicks me out."

Catherine laughed, "Like that will happen anytime soon. Go set the table, Linds, dinner's almost ready. Sara, can you slice the french bread while I get the lasagna out of the oven?"

"Sure." Sara replied, grabbing the loaf of bread with a smile on her face. Finally, she was part of a normal family...at least, as normal as she was ever going to be a part of. For so many years she had longed to be part of something, and now that she had it, there was nothing that would be able to spoil this moment for her.

"Sara, hurry up, will you? I'm ready to finish this DVD!" Lindsey called from the living room, where the two of them had been watching 'Scrubs' for the past three hours, "We're on the last episode!"

Sara sat on the ledge of the bathtub, the small, clear plastic stick in her hand. Two lines...it couldn't be. She tossed the test to the floor as bile rose in her throat, sending her onto her knees in front of the toilet.

It couldn't be. Pregnant. There was no way. She had been in a relationship with Catherine for three months. A very, very monogamous relationship. That left the brief time she was with Bryan, the cop who was willingly transferred to New York City after busting a gigantic drug ring. How could she not have known?

Doing some quick math, she estimated she had to be around 4 and a half months, maybe closer to five, but if she was that far along, wouldn't there have been some kind of indication? She wasn't an expert, but if this nausea thing she had been fighting was morning sickness, she would have been inflicted with it many weeks prior. Wouldn't her clothes be growing tighter? Wouldn't she feel the flutter of a child moving inside of her? Hadn't she just had a period a few weeks ago?

She vomited again as she realized that she would, indeed, feel a child moving inside of her sometime in the near future. What did this mean for her? For her relationship with Catherine? Catherine was going to be so angry! She hadn't agreed to take Sara and a child in when they decided to move in together, she had agreed to take Sara only. How would Catherine feel about having another man's baby in the house? How was she even going to tell her?

She shakily rose to her feet, rinsing her mouth out and looking at her reflection. She was going to be a mother. A _real_ mother. She fought another wave of nausea as she wrapped the pregnancy test and box in a blue plastic bag from the pharmacy, shoving it in the back of the cabinet beneath the sink, praying no one would run across it until she had gotten the nerve to tell Catherine.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Catherine walked into her bedroom, smiling at the sight of Sara and Lindsey curled up together, asleep. Sara was laying on her left side, her hand draped protectively around Lindsey, who was laying on her back her hand clasped into Sara's other hand, which was resting under the younger blonde's head.

Not wanting to wake either of the girls in her life, Catherine slipped into bed on the opposite side of Lindsey, quickly nestling with the rest of her family as she sought to escape the horrors of her job.

She had only been in bed for fifteen minutes when the phone began to ring, causing Catherine's eyes to instantly open, while Sara and Lindsey groggily fought sleep to re-enter the conscious world.

"Cath, it's Grissom. I know you just got home, stop thinking of ways to harm me. Is Sara there, by chance?"

Catherine stretched, rubbing her eyes tiredly, "Yes, but she's sick. You can't have her."

"I'm fine." Sara mumbled, "give me the phone."

Catherine put her finger to her lips to silence the brunette, "Call one of the guys. Warrick ducked out early, call him in."

"I actually need all hands on. The only reason I was excusing you is because of Lindsey, if you want Sara to stay home, I'll need you at the sheriff's house. There's been a triple homicide."

Catherine was instantly awake, "The sheriff?"

"Their housekeeper showed up for their weekly appointment and found the entire family shot to death. Ecklie's ordering all shifts to work the case." Grissom relayed the conversation he had just had with Ecklie, "If you could get a sitter, I could actually use both of you."

Sara and Lindsey both sprang into action as they listened to the conversation developing between Catherine and Grissom. Sara quietly got out of bed, grabbing a pair of black jeans from the closet and tiredly slipping them on, silently gasping as she realized the button was becoming a bit snug.

Lindsey, on the other hand, dramatically flopped onto her pillow, "Mom!" She whined, "I never get to see you anymore. You can't go to work! Please, Mom, tell him no!"

"Lindsey, sweetie, your Mom can't tell Grissom no. He's our boss, he'd fire us for telling him no. Think of it this way, the sooner we go, the sooner we'll get home. I promise, when we get back, we'll take you out for a special dinner, anywhere you want to go."

"Anywhere?" Lindsey asked, her whines quieted as she began to think of restaurants they hadn't been to in awhile, "What if you aren't done by the time it's dinner time?"

Sara smiled as she buttoned up an army green shirt, "Then we'll have to take an extra-long break to come and spend time with our favorite 12 year old."

"Okay, I guess you two can go to work." Lindsey agreed, satisfied with the compromise, "But are you sure you feel okay? You were still sick last night."

Sara nodded, digging for a pair of socks, "I'm fine, I feel 100 percent better." She looked over at Catherine, who was still arguing quietly with Grissom, "Cath, baby, I'm going to head on out there. You and Lindsey stay home together and enjoy some quality time, okay?"

"Who's going to watch out for you?" Catherine asked, covering the phone with her hand.

Sara rolled her eyes, "I'm a fully functional adult, I think I can handle it."

Sara turned onto the street the sheriff lived on, and wasn't surprised that she had to park nearly half a block away because of the sheer number of police units, media crews, and onlookers present. Stifling a yawn, she grabbed her kit and pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, shivering despite the warmth of her Lab-Issue jacket. She felt a lot better than she had for the last few days, partially due to the fact that she seemed to feel worse in the evening, and it was definitely still very early in the morning.

"You look exhausted, girl, what did you do on your night off?" Warrick asked, meeting up with Sara halfway down the street, "Had a rough time sleeping?"

Sara smiled softly, "No, I slept...after I had a 6 hour movie marathon with Lindsey."

"Ah, that explains it." Warrick said with a knowing smile, "Grissom give you any details on the scene?"

Sara rubbed her hands together, trying to keep them warm. While Vegas was known for it's warm desert climate, they occasionally got a few really chilly days in the winter. Today the high was only in the upper 40s, and right now it was just above freezing. "Only that the sheriff's family was shot and killed."

"It's a pretty gruesome scene, we'll be there awhile. Nick's already inside, Greg's in charge of the perimeter. Day shift has 5 people onboard. Two are with Greg, two are searching to see if the suspect dropped the gun nearby, and one is inside with Grissom. You and I are working the daughter's room. Hope you're ready for a long day..."

They walked into Hayley, their youngest victim's, bedroom, and Sara gasped at the sight. The room had been decorated in a typical teenage fashion, movie and music posters pinned to the wall, pictures of friends and schoolmates taped to the mirror over her dresser. The room was in disarray, although it was anyone's guess to whether or not it had been that way prior to the attack. Hayley laid across the bed, three obvious gunshot wounds, along with a slashed throat. Blood soaked the sheets beneath her, spatter covering the walls and floor. Her light blue eyes were open, a terrified expression on her pale, still face. Shuddering, Sara knew that face would join the others that haunted her while she tried to sleep.

She looked at the window, which was partially open, "Suspect may have entered through her window."

"I'll see if there are any prints. Get whatever you can off of the body, David will be here soon to pick her up." Warrick replied, pulling out a canister of powder and dipping his brush into it.

"I've got casings." Sara said softly, picking up the casing with her forceps, "Looks like a 38."

Warrick glanced out of the window as he saw something glistening in the morning sun, "Knife in the garden outside." He called out to Greg, who was only a few feet away, motioning for the newest CSI to bring them the weapon.

"It's such a shame when a child's life is taken. They are so innocent, it just doesn't seem fair."

"It isn't fair." Warrick replied, "It's not fair when anyone dies, but it hurts to see a child laying there, their life stolen."

Sara nodded solemnly, gently retrieving a few fibers from the 13 year old's lips, "I've got red fibers, looks like they came from a towel, I'll send them to trace when we get back to the lab."

"Do you think it's possible that he suffocated her before slashing her throat and shooting her?" Warrick asked, looking up from the windowsill, where he was lifting several prints he found, "Looking for the killer's prints is a lost cause, there has to be at least two dozen prints here."

"The window is a teenager's method of choice when sneaking out at night." Sara pointed out, "check for blood on both the inside and outside, maybe he left through it?"

They worked quietly for the next couple of hours, silently processing every inch of the room, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. They had made a considerable amount of progress when Sara stood from her squatting position, her mind growing fuzzy and her stomach queasy, yet hungry.

"I need some fresh air." She said softly, "Would you mind if I stepped outside for a few minutes?"

Warrick's eyes met Sara's, and his brow wrinkled in concern, "You okay? You look pretty pale."

"I just need a few minutes to refresh my mind." Sara replied with a silent yawn. "I haven't eaten since dinner last night, and it's nearly 2:00."

Warrick looked down at his watch, nodding thoughtfully, "Why don't you take a break and go pick us up some sandwiches? My treat."

"Sounds like a good idea." Sara agreed, despite her churning stomach. Time away from the scene sounded marvelous, and she was certain that another minute in the blood soaked room would cause her to be ill. Plucking a twenty from Warrick's outstretched hand, she gave him a relieved smile and rushed out of the house.

She pulled into the parking lot of the nearest sandwich shop, the smell of freshly baked bread sending her directly to the bathroom. She emerged 5 minutes later, regretting that she had told Warrick she'd pick him up lunch. The slight feeling of hunger she had been experiencing was now a memory, the thought of putting anything into her body making her want to gag. She hastily ordered his meal, not trusting her body enough to order anything for herself.

When she pulled back into the sheriff's neighborhood, she was met with Warrick and Grissom, who were standing in the front yard, talking in a hushed whisper about what they had found so far. Warrick spotted Sara and waved her over, "Hey Sara, I finished with Hayley's bedroom, and as soon as we can get all of the evidence rounded up, the two of us will take it back to the lab."

Sara opened her mouth to respond when everything went back, sending her falling into Warrick's arms, unconscious.

Warrick laid her gently on the ground, looking up at Grissom with a shocked expression. He looked back down at the brunette in his arms and said gently, "Sara, wake up, it's okay, wake up."

Grissom knelt down beside Warrick, gently brushing his hand across her forehead, "Sara, honey, open your eyes. Sara, can you hear me?" He looked up at Warrick, "We need to call for a medic."

Within just seconds, Nick and Greg had joined them in the front yard, along with two of the day shift's CSI's. Nick pulled out his cell phone, "I'll call dispatch for an EMT."

Warrick held up his hand, "Wait, she's coming around."

Sara's eyes briefly fluttered open, but she quickly shut them with a moan as the sun shone directly into her eyes. Over a few seconds, she became increasingly aware of the action taking place around her. Warrick and Grissom were calling her name, and someone was peeling off her jacket, letting the cold air hit her skin. At the mention of paramedics, she managed to crack open her eyes once more, raising her hand to her eyes to block out the sun.

"What happened?" Sara asked, trying to sit, but being forced back to the ground by Grissom, in what could possibly be the most physical contact he had ever had with her.

Warrick handed her a bottle of water that Nick had retrieved, and she took a small sip, pushing it away as her stomach began to protest. Helping her raise her head a bit, Warrick replied, "You passed out. I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?"

Sara shook her head, "No, I'm fine."

"Fine people don't pass out." Grissom reminded her with a stern gaze, "You look very pale. You need to see a doctor."

Sara took her jacket back from Warrick as she began to shiver, and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to clear her head, "I don't need to see a doctor. I've been sick for a few days and I've been neglecting myself. I haven't eaten in awhile, I'm still tired from being so sick, I'm going to be okay, really."

"If you won't see a doctor, the least you can do is let Warrick or I take you home." Grissom replied, slowly pulling her to her feet, "You okay?"

Sara slowly released herself from Grissom's grasp, nodding, "I'm okay." Seeing his disbelieving face, she said more forcefully, "Really, I'm okay. I can drive myself home."

"I don't think so." Warrick and Grissom said at the same time, "That's just an accident waiting to happen." Grissom added, glancing at his watch. "Here's what we're going to do; Warrick, you take the evidence back to the lab. Nick, finish processing the room we were working on, and I'll drive Sara home. "

Before Sara could argue, he had led her to his vehicle, opening the passenger side door for her, "Sit down, you're shaking."

He started the car and silently began the drive back to Catherine and Sara's house. After a few minutes, he asked softly, "How far along are you?"

"Excuse me?" Sara asked, her eyes widening as she subconsciously brought her hand to her abdomen.

Grissom glanced at Sara, then down at her hand, and smirked, "Are you going to deny it?"

"No, I'm not denying anything. How did you know?" Sara asked, her eyes wide as she eyed her supervisor suspiciously.

Grissom shrugged, "You've taken 7 sick days in the last two months, which is more than you've totaled since you've been here. You are having trouble concentrating, you're always looking exhausted, you've been vomiting during every shift you've worked for the last week or two, and you passed out at a crime scene. What am I supposed to think?"

"You've noticed all of that?" Sara asked, "Is it that obvious?"

Grissom shook his head, "Actually, no, I just put the pieces together since we've left. Want to know the main reason I knew?" He waited for her to nod before he continued, "The fetus was moving while you were unconscious. I was unzipping your jacket and I felt fetal movement. I don't think anyone else noticed, but this is definitely something you should have spoken to me about sooner."

"I just found out, last night. I'm estimating 4 and a half months, at the latest, 5. You felt it moving? I've never felt it move." Sara said softly, her hand still resting over her stomach, "I didn't know I should be able to feel it moving yet."

Grissom glanced over at Sara, concerned, "Have you spoken to Catherine about this?"

"No." Sara admitted quietly, a frown on her face.

Grissom let his hand cover her shaking one, "You need to, before she figures it out on her own."

The spent the last 15 minutes of the car ride in silence, Grissom mentally making a list of things Sara could and couldn't do while pregnant in the field and in the lab, while Sara began to contemplate ways to break this news to Catherine. Every scenario she was able to imagine, however, had Catherine hurt, angry, or upset. As they pulled into the driveway, she wiped away a tear that she didn't even know had fallen. This was going to be one of the hardest conversations of her life.

She opened the car door, not too surprised when Grissom walked around to her side of the car and took her by the arm, making sure she was steady enough to make it to the front door. She opened her mouth to argue with him and tell him to just go ahead and leave, but she knew it wouldn't make a difference anyway. Before they even reached the door, Catherine had opened it with a shocked expression on her face.

"What's going on? Why is Grissom bringing you home?" Catherine asked, instantly at Sara's side, "Did something happen? Are you okay?" She took a step back, checking out her girlfriend for any signs of injury.

Sara shook her head silently, glancing down at her feet. Before she had formulated the right words to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal, Grissom had beat her to it, "Sara fainted at the crime scene, I brought her home to make sure she got here okay."

"You fainted?" Catherine asked, tilting Sara's head so their eyes met. Upon Sara's nod, Catherine sighed, "I told you that you should have stayed home. Come inside and sit down, you look awful."

Sara glanced at Grissom, who glanced down at his watch, "I should go. Hope you feel better, Sara. Take the night off...both of you."

Grissom turned to leave as Catherine led Sara inside of their home, fussing over the brunette in a way that only a mother could.

"Baby, I told you it wasn't a good idea to go to work today." Catherine said softly, stroking Sara's cheek, "Are you okay? Do you need anything? It's time to go see a doctor."

Sara closed her eyes, running her hands through her hair as she leaned forward, taking a deep breath, "Cath, I don't need to see a doctor."

"That's nonsense, you can't convince me that you're okay, you've been sick too long for it just to be a virus or something, you could have something seriously wrong with you!" Catherine protested, "You're going to see a doctor, even if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming."

Sara stood, pausing as she was overcome by weakness, trying to clear her head, "No! You don't understand." She sank back onto the couch, pulling away as Catherine touched her shoulder, "Yes, I don't deny that there's something wrong with me, but it's not anything that your family doctor can fix." She took a deep breath, knowing she had to admit the truth to Catherine before it became too glaringly obvious.

She ran her fingers through her hair again, looking for the right words to say, tears filling her eyes as she met Catherine's worried gaze. The idea of Catherine's reaction sent chills down her spine as she found her stomach starting to churn. She shuddered, willing her stomach to stay semi-settled until this revelation was complete, but as soon as the words, "I'm pregnant." flowed from her mouth, the urgent need to be sick flooded her body, sending her into the bathroom, barely having time to slam the door behind her.

She wasn't too surprised to find Catherine still sitting in the living room, shocked, when she returned a few moments later. Sara sat down across from Catherine, crossing her arms nervously, "I...I'm sorry."

"How long?" Catherine asked, looking up with sad eyes, filled with unshed tears, "How far along are you? How long have you known?"

Sara's lip trembled as she fought to keep her own tears at bay, watching Catherine struggle with this new bit of news, "I don't know exactly how far along I am...I'm estimating between 4 and a half and 5 months. I just found out last night, I swear, I had no idea."

"I..." Catherine began, trying to find words to express how she was feeling, "I...I need to be alone right now, I need to think about this."

Sara looked away, her expression unreadable as she stood, a slight tremble in her posture, "Go. Just go. I'll be here with Lindsey when you're ready to talk."

Without a second glance in Sara's direction, Catherine stood and walked towards the front door, feeling as though she was in a complete fog. Sara? Pregnant? Her Sara? Where do they go from here?


	4. Chapter 4

Note from the author: Thank you all for the feedback on this, as well as my other stories. I'm sorry it has taken so long to get a post up, but due to an unfortunate accident (my brother and cousin pushed me off of the 4-wheeler my brother got for Christmas) I broke my wrist and my typing has slowed down a great deal. Luckily, I was almost finished with this chapter, and I'm about 3/4 through with updates on my other stories, so I should have updates relatively soon.

Jenna

Four:

Catherine wasn't aware of getting into her car, turning the key, or backing out of her driveway, much less arriving at Grissom's office. It wasn't until the first tear spilled onto her cheek that she realized her boss/close friend was leading her into his office and shutting the door behind her.

"She told you."

"You knew?" Catherine asked sharply, angrily wiping tears from her cheeks, "She told you before she told me?"

Grissom held up his hand, "You're jumping the gun, here, Cath. She didn't tell me, I figured it out on my own...of course, when you have your hand on her abdomen and something kicks, you, it's a pretty safe bet."

"You felt it move?" Catherine asked, astonished, "She's that far along."

Grissom gave her a skeptical look, "She's a very faithful person, Cath, and you two have been together for just over 3 months now. Assuming you two didn't start dating the minute her cop boyfriend left town...you do the math."

"I don't know what to do, Gil." Catherine sighed, falling back onto a chair and letting her arms fall to her sides, "A baby? I don't know if I'm ready for that. We've never even talked about it."

Grissom raised an eyebrow, "Yet, you aren't talking to her about it now, when it needs to be discussed?" he paused, carefully choosing his words, "Cath, look, I'm not the right person to give you relationship advice, but I have known both you and Sara for a long time, so let me try."

"No quotes? No science? Just advice? Gil, I'm honored and impressed."

Grissom frowned, leaning forward, "You love Sara. Sara loves you. You've got a daughter, and when Sara entered your personal life, she had none, so to speak. Finding out she's pregnant is a big shock to you, I can't even begin to fathom how you feel, I don't want to. You are both very stubborn and headstrong women, and if you two don't work together on this, you won't last. Whatever you feel right now, don't you think Sara's feeling ten times worse?"

"She kept it a secret from me. She didn't even tell me she suspected."

Grissom raised his eyebrow again, leaning back in his chair, "Ever consider she didn't tell you right away because she was anticipating this reaction from you?"

"That's..." Catherine began, angrily, before losing her steam and sighing, "A definite possibility."

"Do you love Sara any less now that she's carrying a child? Have your feelings for her changed, or are you just worried about how much strain this will put on your lifestyle?"

Catherine sighed, leaning forward and putting her elbows on Grissom's desk, "I already struggle to find time for Lindsey, Sara and I don't have any way to balance out our careers, I can't ask my Mom or sister to babysit a baby as well as Lindsey, I can't see how we'll be able to afford a new baby in the house, or if I even remember how to take care of a new baby. When Lindsey was a baby, I had Eddie to pick up the slack whenever I really needed him to...most of the time...but now Sara and I are on the same schedule. How will we ever see the baby? How can we afford day care? 5 months! How can someone not know they're pregnant for five entire months?"

"I'm not good with this sort of advice, so I'll tell you once and then I've got to get some of this paperwork done." Grissom said softly, "Sara's going to have this baby, whether or not you're there to help. If she comes home from the hospital to you and Lindsey, or to an empty apartment, she's still coming home with a baby. To leave her just because she's pregnant is stupid. She needs someone right now. If this goes deeper than the pregnancy, then you need to address those issues. If it's just the pregnancy, that is insane. Maybe, you should be wondering why she's suddenly so sick and weak instead of wondering why she didn't know sooner. Sometimes people just don't know, sometimes they're too stubborn to see the early signs, and it takes it hitting them across the head for them to realize what it is. You need to decide how you feel and what you want to do, and you need to do it soon, because the woman waiting for you at home is not just your girlfriend, she's your girlfriend who is pregnant and should be avoiding stress."

"Thanks." Catherine replied, standing and moving towards the door, "You've been surprisingly helpful."

"Oh, Cath-" Grissom said as she opened the door. She turned back to look at him, and he said firmly, "Whatever happens between the two of you...that stays at home, do not bring it to my lab if either of you value your jobs."

With a nod, Catherine quietly walked out of his office and back to her car. She definitely had a lot to consider, and not much time to do it.

Catherine walked into the house, nervousness nipping a the bottom of her stomach. Lindsey was next door, at least, she would be led to believe so by her daughter's bike on their lawn, and judging by the time, Lindsey was probably planning on spending the night.

She brushed away the slight irritation that no one had called to verify with her that it was okay for Lindsey to go, although she knew she had entrusted Sara to make those decisions before. Tonight, however, she just felt extra unreasonable.

Seeing that the lights were all turned off, she assumed Sara was in bed, and decided she needed to wake her lover up to have this conversation. This was definitely something that couldn't wait until morning.

What she didn't expect to find, however, was a half-packed suitcase laying across their bed, with no Sara to be found. Knowing that she hadn't seen Sara in the kitchen, living room, or backyard, she decided to check the next logical place. It was on the bathroom floor that she found her girlfriend, curled up in a ball, asleep, using a towel as a pillow for her pale, tear stained head.

"Sara, honey, wake up." Catherine whispered, brushing her hand against Sara's cheek, "You can't just sleep here."

Sara moaned, stretching tiredly and rubbing her eyes. Seeing Catherine's own worn appearance, the events of the past few hours came rushing back to her and tears immediately filled her eyes. "You came back."

"I live here, silly, of course I came back. It's going to take more than a few heated words to get rid of me. Besides, you and your little one seem like you need some assistance." Catherine whispered, pulling Sara to her feet and leading her to the bedroom, "What's this about?" she asked, motioning to the suitcases.

Sara looked down, unsure of how to handle Catherine's support after her apparent anger earlier, "I just assumed you'd want me gone. You didn't bargain on this," she motioned to her stomach, "When you asked me to move in. I understand, really, don't feel obligated--"

"Sara, I love you. I love you almost as much as I love Lindsey. I love you more than I have ever loved another person in my entire life. This baby is a part of you, I'm not going to kick you to the curb just because you're having a baby. I was being unfair. You took Lindsey on as your own, no questions asked, and it would be hypocritical and unjust for me to do the same." She pulled the brunette in for a hug, "There's so much we have to do. Get some rest and I'll make a list."

"A list of what?" Sara asked sleepily, still slightly dazed from sleep and eager to get back to her nap, wherever it had to be taken.

Catherine pulled the suitcase off of the bed and pulled down the covers, "Get in. You need a doctor's appointment, they'll probably do an ultrasound. We need baby clothes, furniture, accessories. We'll need to clean out the spare bedroom/office and set that up, unless we move Lindsey to that room, since we'd want the baby close by. We need to start looking for a babysitter, we can use Lindsey's pediatrician...You'll need prenatal vitamins and we definitely need to start you on a healthier diet, oh, and maternity clothes..."

"Catherine, calm down, you're getting all...OCD on me. Right now, I only want to think about a nice long nap, then a warm soothing bath. Anything else can wait." Sara replied, closing her eyes, "Lay down with me, I missed you today."

"I missed you too baby, I'm sorry I freaked out on you. I was just so surprised, I never imagined this happening. I know you would never cheat on me, and I know you wouldn't keep it a secret from me, but my mind just wasn't processing clearly. I just needed some time to get my head on straight. Do you forgive me?"

Silence.

"Sara?"

Once again, she was met with silence. She looked down at the brunette, smiling softly as she heard her soft, even breathing. A few moments later, Sara's hand relaxed and fell from Catherine's grasp as she was completely asleep. Wrapping an arm around her younger girlfriend, Catherine snuggled close to her and let her own eyes close. There would be plenty of time for worrying tomorrow, tonight they would be able to sleep uninterrupted.


End file.
